Safety-fuse.



A. S. BALDWIN.- SAFETY FUSE. APPLICAT ION FILED APR. 16, I911.

Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

"Ham

. INVENTOR.

- ATTORNEYS i H FPTFWQ is loci-L 3 EALZD'WIE, fill BALTIMKDIRE, MARYLAND.

Specification. oi Letters Eetesrl,

se m, 4, 11cm.

fipplieuiiw. filed April ill, 181?. Serial 1% 3.823 33.-

-ll '0 :155? whom '52? may concern:

Be it known that l, Ami-1oz: S. BA'LDWIN,

a citizen of the Unisecl Slates, residing at Bcltimore, in the Shite of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful "improve ments in Safety-Fuses, of which the following is a specification. This invention rclc safety fuses for she: 3 L e an improvement in that class of. {uses known in the art is inertia, operated fuses in which a firing and plunger are normally held in a safety or unarmed. posit-ion and become sh' ed izo an armed position due to the sol;

a or re clues and 1s o im'wovements in back of the orts when Lhe shell containing the fuse 1s 51- "1 from a gum The present invcnfiion has for its object to improve the structures 1n the class of fuses referred ho; to simplify their con drawing where-m,

structiou and reduce the cost of the some.

W 1th these, and other obmcts 1n vlew, the miention 1s illustratvd 1n the accompanying Figure 1, shows the improved fuse device in longiludinal sect-ion the parts being in fine safety or unarmed position,

2, illustrates the device in cross-- sectional dated-"the section being taken on ahc line 2-4 3 of 1.

Fig. 3, shows another longitudinal secton through the fuse with plunger and firing "pin locked together in a setback or armed position, and

Fig. 4, illustrates a cross-sectional detail of the latter,-the section being taken on the line lof Fig. 3,

In the drawing, the numeral 5, designates the case or stock of the use which is provided with an interior circular cavity or chamber 6, and Wll-OSQ exterior has screw threads 7, by means of which the sloclc is cl nched. to the shell. The inner end of the fuse stock is closed, in the present iusl'unce by 22 ca? or plu 8, in which is located tho,

rimer 9, which. latter, when detonated, will fire the main charge in the shell,

A plunger body 10, 1s corn-e01 1n the chumher 6, of the fuse stock said body has central passsges 11, and 12,-respectivcly, of

sagescommunlcate with each other so that she plunger body has a central opening extending entirely through u, and at that point, Where the two passages communicate fromihn annular shoulder 13.

plunger body also has an interior annular channel 14-, beneath or at the outer side of said shoulder 13, and this annular channel forms a cavity, which in diameter is greater than. the diameter of either passage 11, 01' 12, all for a purpose which will preseutly be explained.

The firing pin comprises a central longitudiually-eXtending body whose outer end 15, is of a diameter to freely enter the larger passage 11, of the pllmger body and Whose inner end 16, is of a size or diameter to freely enter the smaller passage 12, of said plunger body.

Around the base of the smaller portion 16, the firing pin is provided with an annular cavity 17, so that the diameter of the pinbcdy at said cavity is lcss than the diameter of the portions 15 or 16., and this c0nstruction produces two slightly spaced shoulders 18 and 19, on the pin body both of which are exposed to the interior of the larger passage 11, of the plunger-body.

The extreme inner end 20, of the/pin is held in allnement with the urimerwmdds tapered i0 cll'eca av detonation of the; latte", as Wlll hereinafter he explained. r

Normally, the pirvbody and the yllunger body are held in. the stock cavity Wlith the inner end 0E the plunger body close to the primerund the larger outer end of ghc pin body scaled againstthe outci' and-Mall 21, of the stock cavihy, The, parts are no' molly held in this position. by mczms of :1 Show pin QEZ-mvhich passes diametrically throulgh the smoller rtion 16, of the pin-body do that its two ends 23, may project slightl from the p'lnd'mdy and engage the ennulm' lslmuldcr 13, on the plunger-body. These pinends 23, it will be "noted, will, in the ,ornml su'ley position of the parts, have phsition 18, from opposite sides, they and spread suiiicienlly at diametrically opposite sides of the annular channel 14, in the plunger body and will just clear the annular wall of the larger plunger-body passage.

It is therefore to, be understood that the plunger-body and pin-body are held at opposite ends respectively of the stock-chamber by means of the ends 23,01 the shear pin 22, and this position is termed the safety position because the firing, end 20, of the pin is confined in the smaller passage 12, of the plunger body ment toward the primer.

Vhen in the position thus described, the fuse may be handled with safety, and such shocks or jars as it may receive in the course of handling or shipment will be insuiiicient, to shear the pin-ends. This, therefore is the safety position in which the fuse parts are retained when the fuse is attached to the shell and up to the moment of firing the shell from a gun.

When the shell is fired, the case or stock is driven, suddenly forward with a. tremendous shock, While the tendency oi the plunger body is to remain inert. This action causes the pin-body to be moved -forward with the stock and shear the ends 23, of the pin 22, on the shoulder 13, due to thc set back of the plunger-body, and the pin-body will move forward through tlfi: plunger body until the sheared ends as, shown in Figs. 3 and 4, of the dinning, are compressed between the sl'iouldcr 23, of the plunger-body and the shou der '18, oi the pin-body. 'hcn these pin-cnds 24, are sub jected to blows by the two shoulders 13 and will have position in register with the annular channel 14, on the plunger body and the annular cavity 17, on the pin-body and the effect of the blow on said piu-cnds is to flatten and spread said ends until they project iulo the registered channel and cavity and thereby act as a key to lock the plunger-body and pin-body together as shown in Figs. 3 and t.

It will thus be understood thilbllIlOll theshock of firing the fuse in a shell from a gun, the set back of the plunger-body will shear the pin-ends and the latter will be flattened between the shoulders 13 and 18, to lock the plunger and pin-body togethci in the so-called armed position, with the end 20, of the pin projecting; from the inner end of the plunger body.

WVhen the armed shell strikes, the lockedtogether plunger-body and pin-body will both move forward until the end 20, of the pin strikes and detonates the primer and thereby causes an explosion of the shell.

Having described my invention what I claim is,--

1. In a fuse device for shells or projecand held against movematinee tiles the combination with a case or stock having a chamber therein, of an explosive element; a plungeubody in said chamber which body is provided with a passage With an interior shoulder between its two ends; a' firing pin entering the plunger-bmly passage and extending beyond the shoulder therein; shear means to normally lock' the, plunger-body and firing pin in a safety position at said interior shoulder and means on the firing .pin to be engaged by the shearedbil portion of the said shear means and lock the body and firing pin in an armed position at said interior shoulder.

2. in a. fuse device for shells or projeetiles the combination with a case or steel: l'iaving a chamber therein, of an explosive element; a plunger-body in said chamber said body having communicating central form a shoulder; a firing pin-body in said plunger passages and said pin-body having a shoulder thereon, and shear means projectin g in the larger of said plunger assagos to normally hold the two bodies in a safety position and the sheared part of which will engage the shoulder on the pin body to lock the bodies in an armed posi tion. upon the shock of firing.

23. in a fuse device for shells or projectiles the combination with a case or stock having a chamber therein, of an explosive element; a plunger-body in said plunger-bodyhaving communicating central passages of unequal diameters wl'iereby to form a shoulder; a firing pinbody having smaller and larger portions to enter said plunge-wholly passages and also having a. shoulder thereon, and a shear pin having, its ends normally extending cross wise oi the larger of the plungenbody passages and engaging the shoulder of the plunger body and said shear pin-ends being compressible at the shoulders on the two bodies on the setback of the'plunger to lock the two bodies "together in an armed position.

4-. la a fuse device for shells or projectilcs'the combination. with a case or stock having a chamber therein, of an explosive element; a plunger-body 111 said chamber; a iii-in pin body extending into the plunger-bm y and provided with an annular cmity, and a shear pin carried by the pin? body and having an end engaging the plun ger-body said pin-end when sheared serving to enter the cavity in the pin to lock the two bodies together.

In a fuse devicitor shells or projeo tiles the combination with a or stock having a (JlHllHlltJ' therein, of an explosive element; a pllmg'cr-body in said chamber and havinn ccntral passages of unequal diameters whereby to term a shoulder,-said passages of unequal diameters whereby to said chamber,-- i

body also having an annular channel at said shoulder; a firing pin-body extending into the plunger-body and provided with an annular cavity, and a shear pin extending through the firing pin-body and hevin its ends projecting beneath the shoulder o the plunger-body and said sheer-pin ends when sheared serving to enter the channel and cavity ef the two bodies 230 fleck fla same in an armed positien In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two WitDGS'BC'SA AQPWTEHTR BALDWIN Witnesses:

J 01m W. Hmvme 12mm E. Bmxmn 

